Board game apparatus with upwardly spring-biased playing pieces



United States Patent BOARD GAME APPARATUS WITH UPWARDLY SPRING-BIASED PLAYING PIECES Denise C. Giraud, Chicago, Gordon A. Barlow, Evanston,

and Marvin I. Glass, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Marvin Glass & Associates, Chicago, Ill., a partnership Filed May 17, 1967, Ser. No. 639,167

Int. CI. A63f 3/02 U.S. Cl. 273134 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to games of chance and skill, of the type wherein the players endeaver to capture the playing pieces of their rivals during the play of the game. Games involving a game board, playing pieces and a deck of cards are well known wherein the players may move their pieces definite numbers of spaces in accordance with the indications of a chance mechanism, but the present invention also concerns itself with such a game wherein the board includes means for propelling the playing pieces through the air and involves the skill of the players in catching such pieces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Game apparatus comprising a three-dimensional playing board including means defining a plurality of spacedapart openings therein, a plurality of members adapted to be placed over the openings, with each such member including spring-biasing means cooperative with the board to releasably hold the member on the board in upwardly biased relation thereto, and additional means which is cooperable with each of said members to release the latter from its biased condition and cause the member to be propelled upwardly from the board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the game board set up, ready to play except for certain squares;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical axial section of a structure providing a ringed hole in the game board;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a deck of cards used in the game.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The game comprises a board of suflicient depth to form a shallow box of suitable material, having side walls 12 and a top surface 14 divided into a plurality of squares or spaces, as indicated at 16 and 18, With certain of the squares, 20, 21, 22, and 23, serving as Start positions. Squares 16 are plain and flat, but squares 18 are provided with downwardly directed sleeves 24, best seen in FIGURE 2, which provide openings 26 in squares 18, sleeves 24 preferably also projecting slightly above Patented Aug. 19, 1969 squares 18 to form rings or ribs 28. Each sleeve 24 is provided with a bottom wall 30 providing a preferably round opening 32, best seen in FIGURE 4, with the opening having a slotted portion 34 opening out of the periphery thereof. The surface 14 of board 10 is divided into sections, conveniently quarters, and in playing the game each player is allotted one section, and each section contains the same number of squares 16 and 18. Furthermore the squares 18, or at least the ringed holes therein, together with the start squares 20, 21, 22 and 23, are given distinctive colors, the holes and the start square in each quarter being of a different color than those of any other quarter, and each player is allotted one of these colors and given a plurality of platforms and a set of animals, all of the particular color allotted to him.

The platforms are alike except for the color, so that a description of one will suffice for all. Each comprises a disk portion 36 (FIGURE 2), normally horizontal, from the under side of which a latch bar 38 projects downwardly through opening 32, said bar having an offset latch portion 40 which, after being passed down through slotted portion 34 is turned to engage the under side of bottom wall 30, to resist the upward pressure of a spring 42 which is stressed between the upper side of wall 30 and the under side of disk 36. It will 'be apparent that disk 36, in the event that it is rotated until latch portion 40 registers with slotted portion 34, will be projected upwardly with substantial force by reason of the expansion of spring 42, and any animal supported on the platform will be projected upwardly with equal force and velocity.

The aforementioned animals may be conventional in form, as for example the tiger 44, and each has an ample base or feet 46 so that it can sit or stand in a stable manner on one of the disks 36.

In playing the game each player notes the color of the platforms and animals that he has and inserts his platforms in ringed holes of his particular color, compressing the springs 42 and catching latches 40 beneath walls 30. He then places one of his animals on each of the platforms. He is provided also with a cage 48 which he places on the proper colored start position 20, 21, 22 or 23, and which cage comprises a substantially cylindrical sleeve composed of slats 50 (FIGURES 2 and 3) united by an integral upper portion 52 and by a lower hoop portion 54 which is fixed outside of slats 50 so as to define inwardly directed notches 56 where the spaces between slats 50 extend downwardly within hoop 54. Disks 36 have outwardly directed teeth 58 disposed about their peripheries and circumferentially spaced from each other the same amount as notches 56, and the parts are so dimensioned that a cage 48 may be passed downwardly about any disk 36 whereupon notches 56 will engage teeth 58 whereby rotation of cage 48 will cause corresponding rotation of disk 36.

A deck of cards 60 contains pictures of the several kinds of animals used in the game and is laid face-down on the table. The player now takes the top card and notes the picture thereon. He then scans the board to see whether an animal of the type represented threon blonging to an adversary is positioned within a straight path from his cage. If not, he cannot move his cage. However, assuming that one is, he moves his cage any necessary number of squares, lifts it and places it around the animal. He then turns the cage, turning disk 36 until latch portion 40 slips through slotted portion 34, whereupon disk 36 will be projected upwardly with substantial force, and the animal thereon thrown into the air. The player is required to catch the animal before it drops, in which event he may claim it as his. If he misses he must reset the platform, replace the animal, and move his cage back to his starting circle. By reason of integral =3 portion 52 of cage 48, disk 36 cannot escape from cage 48, but will be stopped by engagement of teeth 58 with portion 52, so that the platform will not follow the animal into the air when released.

It will be apparent that a game has been devised in which the fortunes of the players depend to a considerable extent upon chance, since no one can predict what card will come up when a player has his turn, while, on the other hand, it does no good to be entitled to release an animal unless the player is dexterous enough to catch it, so that a considerable amount of skill is necessary to be successful.

Different rules may be applied to the playing of the game, but as an example, the acquisition of five animals other than your own might be considered to win the game.

While the game apparatus has been described in connection with specific structure, it will be apparent that variations might be made without departing from the principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a three-dimensional playing board including means defining a plurality of spaced-apart recesses in the board, a plurality of platform members adapted to be placed in covering relation to any of said recesses, spring-latch means fixed on the underside of each platform member and cooperable with said recess-defining means to releasably fix said member in upwardly biased relation to the board, the cooperating parts of said latch means and said recess-defining means being so constructed and arranged that said latch means may be engaged and released by rotation of said member and the release of the latch means causes the platform to be propelled upwardly from the board, a plurality of a playing pieces each adapted to be positioned on any one of said platform members, and a plurality of enclosure means open at the top and bottom and positionable in surrounding relation to any one of said platforms, said enclosure means and said platform members including cooperable elements so constructed and arranged that the turning of an enclosure means rotates a platform surrounded thereby to effect release of said latch means and cause said platform to be propelled upwardly in said enclosure means.

2. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said latch means comprises an elongated latch element fixed to the underside of said platform member in downwardly extending relation thereto, and a coil spring disposed in encircling relation to said latch element, and wherein each of said recess defining means includes a cylindrical housing extending below the upper surface of said board and having a bottom wall provided with an opening for receiving the lower end of said latch element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 296,405 4/1884 Greenwood 273-1021 X 1,437,699 12/1922 Wylie 273102.1 1,637,922 8/1927 Sullivan 273-136 2,990,643 7/1961 Zoeller 46145 X 3,008,714 11/1961 Pullen 273102.l

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner US. or. X.R. 46-145; 273-139 

